Cow should be declared national animal: Allahabad High Court

The Allahabad High Court has said that the cow is an integral part of India's culture and should be declared as the national animal. The court made the remark while refusing to grant bail to Javed, accused of an offense under the Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act in Uttar Pradesh.  The court said that not only did Hindus understand the importance of the cow, but even during the Muslim rule, the cow was considered an important part of India's culture.

Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav of the High Court said that the government should bring a bill in the Parliament to give fundamental rights to the cow, declare it as the national animal and make strict laws to punish those who talk about harming it. Along with this, the work of cow protection is not only of one religious sect, but the cow is the culture of India and the task of saving the culture belongs to every citizen living in the country, irrespective of religion, he said. Not only this, while making strong remarks on cow slaughter, the court observed that it is not only the fundamental right of those who eat beef, but those who worship cow and are financially dependent on the cow also have a fundamental right.

The court said that the right to life is above the right to kill. Eating cow's meat can never be considered a fundamental right. The court said that the cow is useful even when it is old and sick. Cow dung and urine are considered useful for making agricultural medicine. The cow is worshipped which is above all. Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav said that the slaughter of cow was also banned by Muslim rulers. The Nawab of Mysore, Hyder Ali, made cow slaughter a punishable offence.

After the court's remarks, political reactions have also started coming in. UP government minister Mohsin Raza has welcomed the suggestion of the Allahabad High Court to declare the cow as the national animal. He said that CM Yogi Adityanath and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are all determined for cow protection. "We are constantly committed to the protection of Gau Mata. It is also our cultural heritage and religious belief. If we follow the suggestion of the High Court, then it will get a big expansion at the world level," the minister said.

At the same time, Congress spokesperson Surendra Rajput said that the suggestion of the High Court should be considered by the Bharatiya Janata Party. The killing of cow should be stopped not only in UP but across the country. He said that there is a ban on cow slaughter in UP but not in Assam. Therefore, on the suggestion of the court, the Bharatiya Janata Party should bring a constitutional law.